Super Furry Animals

Super Furry Animals formed in Cardiff in 1993, Gruff Rhys's melodic, psychedelic songwriting giving the band a quality that was immediately distinctive. They signed to Creation Records and released their debut album 'Fuzzy Logic' (1996) — a record of extraordinary invention that showed a band capable of combining pop melody with genuine experimental ambition.

'Radiator' (1997) and 'Guerrilla' (1999) were both excellent — the latter in particular, with its eclectic mix of styles and its genuine strangeness, showed a band who were not interested in following any template. 'Mwng' (2000) — recorded entirely in Welsh — was a remarkable achievement: a beautiful, intimate album that reached number eleven in the UK charts despite being entirely in a language most of its buyers couldn't understand.

'Rings Around the World' (2001) was their commercial peak — it reached number three and won the Mercury Prize. Super Furry Animals have continued to record and tour, their live shows remaining among the most inventive and joyful in British music. Rhys has also had a successful solo career. They are one of the most important and most underrated British bands of their generation.